The team behind The Meydan

Published: Thursday, June 17, 2010 with 0 Comments

With designs made from gold and silver, The Meydan Hotel in Dubai is guaranteed to impress. Hotelier Middle East finds out from the team behind the project why the Burj Al Arab has competition

THE MEYDAN

The Meydan Hotel held its grand launch at the Dubai World Cup this year, welcoming more than 80,000 race goers just weeks after its soft opening on March 4. With 285 rooms spread over eight floors, many with panoramic views of the racecourse, The Meydan is designed to impress.

While all eyes were on The Meydan during such a high-profile event, the pressure was on for the hotel to deliver, and Meydan Hotels and Hospitaltiy VP Abdin Nasralla says that the team was well aware of the impending opening date during the planning stages.

“We knew the World Cup was happening. There was no escape, it was happening on March 27,” Nasralla says. “So we said OK we want it to be March 26, we want it to be March 25, and we worked backwards. We had the team and we had to break it up. With my 40 years of experience, I’d like to advise any hotel manager and any operator: don’t take it as a big project — take it as small units and break it down. Your life will be easier.”

Aiming for the top

Nasralla’s new position heading up The Meydan meant that he had to say goodbye to his previous role as general manager of Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa, where he had been working for the past six years.

“I felt sorry to leave my baby,” Nasralla says of Bab Al Shams. “But people should look forward to a challenge and a change. I am sure with Jumeirah I handed over to capable managers who inherited what I built and it will continue in the right way, so it wasn’t really sour.”

It was in this role with Bab Al Shams that Nasralla was named the general manager of the year at the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2009. And, according to Nasralla, things will only get better — he is eager for The Meydan to be counted among established names such as the Burj Al Arab.

“The sky is the limit. We always aim for the highest, the best. I want to be the best hotel. I have been selected as the best manager of the year. So now I want to be the best manager of the world through Meydan,” Nasralla asserts.

“With Meydan we are going to make a great success. I think it will take me to where I want to be. Best, of course, or greater. Among all these big giants to stand here and say I’m next to The Address or next to Burj Al Arab or next to other big hotels — I want to be one of the best. And Meydan will help me to be there.”

On board for the final two years of the project, Nasralla was initially unaware that his position with Meydan would be anything other than an advisory role during the preparatory stages of the hotel launch.

“I was involved for two years; the chairman asked me to play the role of advisor and consultant. So I was involved two years ago but I didn’t think I would come to run this place because its huge, it’s got grandstands, marina, and horse racing. I was doing the consultation but I didn’t know who would operate it. At least not in the beginning, until I was told ‘you have to come over here’”, says Nasralla.

“So it’s nice. To be associated with Meydan is a privilege — I’m very lucky to be one of the people given this opportunity. Meydan’s going to be the talk of the town, not just in Dubai, but in the region, for a long time. Dubai always surprises people with who is the best. So it is going to be one of the good units in the country and I am happy to be part of it.”

And if Meydan is to be the talk of the town, much of the conversation will surely focus on the design of the hotel. There is a clear equestrian theme throughout — unsurprising when considering the location — but what is surprising is the detail. The brunch bar is surrounded by miniature horseshoes, while images of horses can be seen in the internal brickwork of the hotel.

Design

Teo A.Khing Design Consultants managing director and architect Teo Ah Khing is responsible for the design of the Meydan; which not only encapsulates the theme of horse racing but also retains a strong Arabic influence throughout the hotel.

“The colour scheme focused on three main colours; gold, black, and silver, which convey a strong sense of “richness” and modern sophistication,” explains Khing.

“These elements were complemented by warm tones of fabric, leather, and timber materials. The combination of the textured and smoothened surfaces produced an eclectic design that is modern, timeless, and elegant,: he continues.

“Throughout the hotel interiors, onyx stone, leather, gold and silver mosaic, real horseshoe, and 3D glass blocks (with horse figure) and silver were used as main features or as accents. The modern theme was made apparent with the use of stainless steel, metal trims, and glass.”

“Arabic geometry, which is a regular design feature in the region, was represented by the regular use of horseshoe patterns in the interiors — a contextual reference to the Arabians and to the Meydan racecourse. References to horses were also used in grandstand atria which outline horse figures in concentric graphic forms when viewed from the ground level,” adds Khing.

Year round appeal

Despite its association with horse racing —which can be seen in all aspects of the hotel, from its positioning alongside the racetrack down to the intricate equestrian details in the décor —Nasralla is keen to dismiss the assumption that the Meydan may not attract customers outside of the racing season, maintaining that it is an added bonus.

“Why do people always talk about the race season? It’s like somebody asking a beach hotel ‘what will happen if the sea is empty, no one will swim’”, Nasralla says.

“I will say that we are in a position like every other hotel down town — Emirates Towers, Shangri-La, Dusit, Fairmont — these people work all year round and don’t have a rest. So the race is a plus. We are in the middle of the city, we’re downtown. The race is a good point, a good activity to have; it enhances our business in the winter and in the summer we should be like everybody else. Our hotel is a business hotel, it is a leisure hotel, it is a group hotel, it is a MICE hotel – so why worry? If we were only leisure, or a boutique, then maybe we would worry; but we can cater for all kinds of business, so we should have a nice mix and we should survive I will say.”

With all types of business catered for, The Meydan expects a mixture of clientele —from locals to overseas guests. The forecast for occupancy over the summer month is currently estimated at between 35to 45%.

“The local market will generate quite substantial revenue for us and what is good about Dubai is when there is a new kid on the block people like to try it. So this is a good habit here,” Nasralla says.

“People will come from different countries. The first customers will be British, German. We are going to focus on the Russian market. We are also concentrating on China and Japan. And we would love to have the American market.”

Operator decision

The management contract for the hotel was originally held by Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts (with whom The Meydan is currently in arbitration proceedings), but the hotel is now seeking a new operator. With the set-up and initial operation of The Meydan supported by Jumeirah Group, it seems likely that it will stay on as the management company.

“We will have an operator and Jumeirah are much considered. At the moment they are one of the very top selected,” says Nasralla.

“It’s all subject to contract and there is no hidden agenda in saying we are considering them among others. It’s a competition, this life. We’ve seen the quality, so it’s a matter of negotiating with the management of Jumeirah, but they are considered — they are very, very shortlisted.”

Abdin Nasralla tells it like it is

The Meydan offers a 24 hour stay, enabling guests to check in at any time, and check out a full 24 hours later. In addition, individual guest packages are available at The Meydan Hotel and include Wi-Fi, a buffet breakfast, and, more unusually, soft drinks from the mini-bar. Abdin Nasralla believes that providing a good service is more important than claiming back every dirham from guests.

“We included this in the rate because we thought — at the end of the day you’re not making a great money or profit — we think it’s a service. Why is the mini-bar in the room in the first place? It’s to serve people in a different way, to speed up the service so they don’t have to call room service. So we include it and we think it’s working well, we get good comments from it.

“Twenty years ago I was assistant food and beverage manager and we used to look at the seal of the bar — like people are going to steal from the bar, take a drink. And today we have no key — we have facilities. You’ve got to give people facilities and make people comfortable. They are not in a prison, they are not in a police station, and they are not here to be questioned. Today people charge for the internet — come on! We can’t do that. There is wireless everywhere. It’s about facilities — people move with their laptops. But charging so much for eight hours, so much for 24 hours. What is this restriction? I want to check my mail, what’s wrong with that? And I’m not being clever by saying all this, but I am being realistic.

“When I sit down and brainstorm, I ask what people want today. How can we fast track the check-out or check-in? You should have everything pre-registered when people come; they should not even have to wait for their key.

“So I think people today need service. We concentrate too much, or we used to in our industry, on how to control people, rather than serve people. It’s all ‘sit down, give me your passport, give me your name — is this your wife or not your wife, give me a proof.’ I think, ‘please leave me alone, I just want to come to stay and enjoy your hotel — are you accepting me or not?’ If I were the customer I would be asking these questions — ‘do you want me or shall I just walk out to next door?’”

Focus: Food and Beverage

There are four main culinary outlets at The Meydan Hotel; Shiba, an authentic Japanese restaurant; Prime, a steakhouse; Farriers, an all day dining restaurant; and The Millennium Lounge, which serves high-tea during the day and transforms in to a lounge in the evening.

With such a range on offer, The Meydan Hotel executive chef, Ashley Goddard, believes that people will come to sample the cuisine, asserting that the distance to The Meydan from the centre of Dubai is far shorter than people imagine.

“There is a perception among certain quarters that there is a distance to The Meydan,” says Goddard. “I’m guessing, however, this is predominately held by those that have not visited us yet. The Meydan hotel, located in Nad Al Sheba, is likely to be the most central location in all Dubai.”

For those who have made the journey to The Meydan, Goddard promises a culinary experience, including master chefs, gourmet food and restaurant theatre.

“The menus have been created by listening to our guests. It’s about choice, availability of the freshest and quality produce, and quality. They have also been inspired by our unique location,” Goddard says.

“Should the guest so wish, restaurant theatre is present at The Meydan to enjoy, with our numerous live cooking stations and full-view kitchen at “Farriers”, and at “Shiba” our Japanese restaurant, however, it is not obtrusive and the focus is not on our kitchens per se, but rather on the creations that come from there.”

Brunch

Like any good hotel in Dubai, The Meydan puts on a weekly brunch on Fridays — featuring dishes from some of the world’s key horse racing nations, and taking guests on a culinary journey through Asia, the Middle East, France, Japan, Australia, the US, Italy, Germany and the UK.

“Friday brunches are a Dubai institution, however, on the whole we felt they were beginning to become a bit tired of late, with nothing really refreshingly new on offer,” says Goddard. “From the outset The Meydan’s Friday Brunch has been set to challenge Dubai’s established Friday brunch scene with its commitment to providing an award winning, relaxed, family inspired brunch, where time is not a concern, quality gourmet experiences are assured and the whole family unit is considered.”

The brunch costs AED 495 (US $134) for adults, although it was initially priced at AED 550 (US $149) when first launched.

Coming soon to The Meydan Hotel